Belinda Ashton
Working for wildlife & wild places
Project Innovation & Curation of Displays
A lifelong interest in wildlife and the preservation of wild places has been the foundation of my professional life.
I studied towards a BA in English at UCT and later completed a creative design course in London during the early 1990s, and synthesising writing, photography and creative design became the basis of my work offerings.
Years later, after my experiences as a trustee and committee member for various conservation clubs and organisations, I articulated my vision to become a nature writer and environmental project innovator.
I now curate awareness exhibitions and immersive interpretative installations within marine, wilderness, and urban wildlife ecology and conservation.
I so enjoy bringing my experience and aesthetic considerations to a project to enhance the visual and narrative storytelling. Through my consulting work, I offer creative design, layout, and writing, as well as project curation to create beautiful, thought-provoking publications, exhibits, and awareness displays.​
MARINE CONSERVATION
Since 2003, I have run the Oceans of Africa programme with my husband, Noel Ashton, who is a public speaker and cetacean scientific illustrator. Together, we have had the privilege of launching many programmes that focus on whales and the protection of fragile ocean habitats.
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Project milestones have included :
- The Sacred Ocean Campaign & Great Whaling Debate in the Two Oceans Aquarium. The campaign centred around the iconic Sacred Ocean sculpture, with interpretative exhibits throughout the aquarium. It was launched by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, with support from IFAW-SA and video support from Pierce Brosnan. The campaign message was shared around the world through Reuters News Agency.
- The Windows on the Oceans public awareness display in the Two Oceans Aquarium, which focused attention on cetacean diversity in southern African waters. This project had support from Jonathan Oppenheimer and The De Beers Trust. The display moved to The Whale Museum in Hermanus, and a year later, our Species Panels became a permanent exhibit in the Two Oceans Aquarium.
- Numerous awareness initiatives, including The Whale Show, On the Brink, The Benguela Project, Ocean Encounters, and The Whale Walk.​​​
​​I have known the Ashton’s for many years and have always admired their intimate knowledge of the region, their passion for its wonderful whales and dolphins, and their remarkable efforts to drum up urgently needed support for conservation efforts to look after them.
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MARK CARWARDINE, ZOOLOGIST + BBC PRESENTER
With our publisher Pippa Parker (centre) from Penguin Random House, at the launch of one of our whale watching field guides.​
Working with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
With Ambassador Bernard and Mrs Susan Baker of Singapore
Discussing conservation matters with Dr Ian McCallum
At present we are busy articulating the next phase of the Sacred Ocean campaign. We are working in consultation with Elizabeth Gleave of LandArt Agency and anticipate launching in the UK in 2026.
URBAN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
S​​ince 2010, I have run the Wild Neighbours initiative with its focus on urban wildlife conservation. This programme was inspired by my work as a trustee of the Baboon Matters Trust and a long, insightful conversation that I had with Dr Jane Goodall when we discussed becoming a voice for wildlife.
Wild Neighbours was enabled through the generous support of US urban wildlife specialist Dr John Hadidian and with funding from Dr Andrew Rowan of The Humane Society in the US. In more recent years, local components of the initiative have been funded by IFAW Southern Africa. My public talk, Living with our Wild Neighbours, was first presented at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve.​
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Reconnecting with Nature, an awareness display created in partnership with the SA National Biodiversity Institute, with funding from the Hoheisen Trust, was installed in the nine National Botanical Gardens of South Africa. The displays remain as an awareness feature in the gardens, encouraging people to deepen their experience of the natural world.
Last week I had the pleasure of reading your display at Kirstenbosch. Word for word I connected with what you are expressing there! It was wonderful to connect in that way – these moments are pockets of inspiration and hope.
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CHANEL ROSSOUW
Our friend Michaela Strachan alongside one of my nature interpretative signboards in Kirstensboch Botanical Garden.
At present I am studying towards becoming a Wild Nature ecotherapy mentor, combining my interest in holistic living with the principles of ecopsychology and deeper engagement with the land and to self.
WILDERNESS PRESERVATION
My work in wilderness conservation has focused on deepening awareness around land use and the preservation of remote wilderness areas. This led to the opportunity to work with Vance G. Martin of the The WILD Foundation in the US, creating the inspirational Wilderness Visionaries display, which was launched at the WILD9 World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico.
I had the privilege of working with Dr Ian Player, who, with Laurens van der Post, founded the wilderness movement in southern Africa. Dr Player wrote the foreword to my book Connecting with Wilderness.
Our world is in desperate need of committed individuals who will take an active role in saving wilderness. This book by Belinda Ashton will I am sure spark the desire to help the cause of wilderness. I particularly like this book because it has a poetry about it and the poets are able to see way beyond our normal range of vision.
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DR IAN PLAYER, THE WILDERNESS FOUNDATION
A conference attendee reading one of the Wilderness Visionaries panels at the WILD9 World Wilderness Congress.
Creating & curating immersive display experiences...
RHINO CONSERVATION
In response to the plight of rhinos in southern Africa, Noel and I conceptualised the Mapungubwe Revisited initiative, in partnership with WWF-SA and in support of their rhino conservation work. Through a series of high-profile public events, we told the story of this iconic piece and its relevance in today’s fraught and stressful world. We co-hosted these events with WWF, including the launch event at the Everard Read in Johannesburg and the Mapungubwe Museum in Pretoria.
Noel and Belinda Ashton’s ‘Mapungubwe Revisited’ is a brilliant initiative to honour the rhino. The reverence of the ancient people for this wonderful animal is a sharp reminder to so-called civilised man to ensure that the species survives in our modern world.
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DR IAN PLAYER, THE WILDERNESS FOUNDATION
Eight hundred years ago, at the Late Iron Age archaeological site of Mapungubwe, a member of the royal family was laid to rest, and within the grave was placed a little rhino, 15cm long and made of pure gold. This compelling artwork speaks through time, and as a sculptor I saw its significance not only as a symbol of the rich cultural legacy of Africa, but also that it speaks to how our relationship with nature has changed over time...
Noel addressing media and guests at the launch event at the Mapungubwe Museum.
NATURE RESEARCH & WRITING
Words, poems, and writing about nature are my life passions. Over the years, I have written articles for various publications, including Africa Geographic and a regular column in Cape etc magazine. My journal, Cape Envirolink, sponsored by The Table Mountain Fund and recipient of a Green Trust Award, shared information about greening issues in the city. Our latest field guide, Watching Whales and Dolphins in Southern Africa, was published by Penguin Random House with a foreword by our friend, Mark Carwardine. I have also been involved with numerous research reports, including the porcupine trade with cinematographer Nick Chevallier and the African Elephant Immunocontraception Programme with The Humane Society International. I have always found expression through poetry, and in the late 1980s, a selection of my poems was published in Siren Songs, an anthology of South African women poets.
Through my lifelong interest in paleoanthropology, I became a volunteer at the Iziko South Africa Museum, which has a superb southern African rock art gallery.
Copyright © Belinda Ashton 2026